Electrical connector



June 1965 A. R. DE LYON ETAL 3,

' ELECTRICAL commdwon' Filed Oct. 21,- 1963 INVENTORS ARMAND RENE IDE Ly United States Patent 3,188,606 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Armand Rene de Lyon and Allen E. Travis, Harrisburg, Fa, assignors to Al /i? incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa.

- Filed Get. 21, 1%3, Ser. No. 317,522

3 Claims. (Cl. 339-256) This invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly, to a connector assembly wherein the parts are designed for fast and permanent assemblage and disconnection, to an improved sheet metal receptacle which grips under spring pressure a mating sheet metal tab or blade.

In sheet metal receptacles of the tab or blade receiving type, the most important characteristics desired thereof are high current-carrying capacity, high tensile strength or resistance to disconnection, minimum stock thickness, low connective force, and minimum amount of metal to obtain both the mechanical and electrical characteristics desired.

In conventional tab or blade receiving receptacles, a variety of concepts to achieve high spring pressure have been used thereby assuming a good electrical connection. However, in order to obtain a high spring pressure, the metal-to-metal contact area has been substantially reduced thereby precluding good electrical connection. Since the contact area is small, repeated use of the receptacle also reduces the tensile strength of the sheet metal thereby reducing the spring pressure.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a tab or blade receiving receptacle which includes a large area of metal to mechanically and electrically engage a tab when inserted therein.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a tab or blade receiving receptacle which maintains a uniform pressure on the tab even after repeated use.

Another object of the present invention is that the tab or blade receiving receptacle has an entrance in which the tab or blade is easily inserted.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly wherein the parts can be quickly assembled in permanent installation yielding a connection which retains high quality mechanical and electrical characteristics throughout the life expectancy of the equipment associated therewith.

To the foregoing purposes an optimum area of contact between the connector elements is provided Without re ducing the contact pressure below the minimum necessary to secure the assembly from disconnection in normal use thus assuring an electrical connection of long life and high quality.

Other objects and attainments of the present invention will bcome apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which there is shown and described a preferred embodiment; it is to be understood, however, that this embodiment is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of the invention but is given for purposes of illustration in order that others skilled in the art may fully understand the invention and the principles thereof and the manner of applying it in practical use so that they may modify it in various forms, each as may be best suited to the conditions of a particular use.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of two mating connector elements of a connector assembly illustrative of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the connector assembly of FIGURE 1 with the connector elements in connective engagement;

masses Referring now to the drawings, the connector receptacle 1 includes a ferrule portion 2 and a terminal clip portion 3 which is adapted to receive a mating generally rectangular sheet metal tab or blade 4. Connector receptacle l is preferably formed by shaping a sheet metal blank or strip of a suitable electrically conductive material such as brass, bronze or other alloy, the metal being sufficiently hard and resilient in order to provide clip portion 3 with excellent spring quality but also malleable to permit cold-forging tor crimping of ferrule portion 2 onto the end of conductor 5 so as to make electrical and mechanical engagement therewith'such as disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,600,012. 7

Tab or blade 4 is a conventional tab well known in the electrical connector field and need not be explained any further except to point out that the edges and front portion thereof are rounded in order to eleminate sharp edges therefrom which if not eliminated would substantially score the tab or blade receiving surfaces of receptacle 1 thereby wearing them down after repeated use such that the electrical and mechanical characteristics are substantially impaired.

Clip portion 3 comprises a front section 6 and a rear section 7 which are substantially identical in configuration and each of which includes bottom portions 8, 9; sides 10, 11' and inturned ends 12., 13 overlying and spatially disposed from bottom portions 8, 9.

Sections 6 and'7 are connected to each other by a floor or base portion 14 and long flexible flange portions 15. As can be discerned flange portions 15 are spatially disposed from base portion 14, and both flange portions 15 and base portion 14- lie closer to the medium plane of clip portion 3 than bottom portions 8, 9 and ends 12, 13 of sections 6 and 7 and that flange portions 15 and bottom portion 14 are connected to ends 12, 13 and bottom portions 8, 9, respectively, by curved sections 16. As a result .of flange portions 15 and base portion 14 being connected to ends 12, 13 and bottom portions 8, 9 respectively by curved portions 16, excellent spring force is imparted to flange portions 15 and base portion 14, especially the former. Moreover, it should be noted that base portion 14 and flange portions 15 are slightly inclined toward each other from front section 6 to rear section 7 as shown in FIGURE 4 to add to the spring force thereof. The width of base portion 14 is slightly larger than that of tab 4.

Thus, flange portions 15 and base portion 14 define a resilient blade or tab engaging area of less height than the thickness of tab 4 and wherein, as a result of the spring force thereof, this tab engaging area yieldingly engages tab 4 upon insertion therein in a uniform manner entirely therealong where there is engagement be tween tab 4 and the tab engaging area such that the tab engaging area corresponds substantially to the configuration of the tab (see FIGURE 3). In eflect the tab engaging area molds itself to the configuration of the tab thereby providing good electrical and mechanical engagement therebetween as well as therealong.

Since curved portions 16, connecting bottom portion 8 and ends 12 with base portion 14 and flange portions 15 respectively, are curved inwardly and backwardly, this aids the insertion of tab 4 within the tab engaging area.

The total width of both flange portions 15 is about Patented June 8, .1965 Y half, half or a little larger than half the width of base portion 14. Thus, base portion 14 engages the entirety of one surface of blade 4 and flange portions 15 engage approximately half the outer surface.

Another factor-that aids the insertion of tab 4 into clip portion 3 is that front section 6 has a larger Width and height than the tab engaging area thereby providing an entrance through which easy access to the tab engaging area is effected (see FIGURE If the receptacle element is to be disposed within a housing (not shown), sides 10 can be provided with spring latch means 17 which extend outwardly and rearwardly thereof, and these engage recesses disposed in the sides of a passageway of the housing so as to latch the receptacle element 1 therewithin. The passageway is such that the height and width thereof in which clip portion 3 is to be disposed is slightly larger than the height and Width of front and rear sections 6 and 7, the entrance to the passageway is slightly larger than the front width of the tab-receiving area, the inside of the entrance provides an abutment against which the front edges of front section 6 engage and spring latch means 17 are disposed within the recesses. The passageway aids in maintaining sides 10,11 and ends 12, 13 in their formed positions. Of course, the housing can be provided with a plurality of such passageways in which corresponding receptacle elements are disposed. The passageways can be disposed in parallel rows, parallel staggered rows or any desirable arrangement. While spring latch means 17 extends from sides 10, it is obvious that they, can be provided at other locations of the receptacle element. Also, a single spring latch means, instead of two, can be utilized at the appropriate location such as bottom portions 8, 9, if desired.

If desired, the holding power of the connector assembly can be increased by providing tab 4 and base portion 14 with a boss and indentation arrangement, as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,791,755, to provide a detent which adds to the tensile or pulling strength of the connection.

The holding power of the clip portion may also, of course, be increased by increasing the stock thickness of sheet metal from which the clip is for-med. As the stock thickness is increased, however, flexible flange portions 15 and base portion 14 become more rigid, requiring greater connective or insertion force to be exerted while rendering the forming process more difficult. The more effective use of the available metal according to the present invention, however, will provide the necessary amount of spring pressure required in normal applications of such clip portions, while yet maintaining the insertion force at a minimum.

There can readily be discerned from the, foregoing description, a receptacle element having a clip portion which provides a tab-engaging area that engages a tab element with uniform pressure to provide excellent mechanical and electrical engagement therebetween.

It will, therefore, be appreciated that the aforementioned and other desirable objects have been achieved;

however, it should be emphasized that the particular embodiments of the invention, which are shown and described herein, are intended as merely illustrative and not as restrictive of the invention.

We claim:

1. An electrical receptacle for a substantially flat insertable electrical blade member, said receptacle comprising a sheet metal blank having spring characteristics, said blank being formed to define a base portion adapted to engage along one surface of said blade member, flange portions overlying said base portion, said flange portions being spatiahy disposed from said base portion and substantially parallel thereto which are adapted to engage about one half of the other surface of said blade member,'end sections extending away from the ends of said base and flange portions, each end section having a bottom portion and inturned ends which are disposed at a greater distance from the median plane of said receptacle than said base and flange portions, and curved portions connecting said bottom portions and said inturned ends to said base portion and said flange portions to impart thereto spring power so that said base portion and flange portions provide a resilient blade engaging area which when said blade member is inserted therein will yieldingly engage said blade member in a mechanical and electrical connection.

2. An electrical receptacle according to claim 1 wherein said flange portions and said base portion are inclined toward each other from one end to the other.

3. An electrical receptacle according to claim 1 wherein said receptacle includes spring latch means adapted to be disposed in recesses of a passageway of a housing to latch said receptacle therein.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,325,691 8/43 Litwin et a1. 339-256 X 2,352,618 7/44 Daenz 339-258 X 2,552,392 5/5l Batcheller 339-256 2,701,350 2/55 Soreng 339-256 2,711,524 6/55 Beaver 339-256 2,762,026 9/56 Knohl 339-217 X 2,768,361 10/56 Aquillon et al. 339-211 2,774,055 12/56 Batcheller 339-256 X 2,869,107 1/59 Engel 339-256 X 2,996,026 8/61 Batchcller 339-256 X 3,030,603 4/62 Olsson 339-273 X 3,047,832 7/62 Deakin 339-256 X 3,083,345 3/63 Scheller 339-47 3,086,193 4/63 Berg 339-258 3,097,906 7/63 Shannon 339-256 X FOREIGN PATENTS 336,612 10/30 Great Britain. 786,768 6/35 France.

JOSEPH D, SEERS, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE FOR A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT INSERTABLE ELECTRICAL BLADE MEMBER, SAID RECEPTACLE COMPRISING A SHEET METAL BLANK HAVING SPRING CHARACTERISTICS, SAID BLANK BEING FORMED TO DEFINE A BASE PORTION ADAPTED TO ENGAGE ALONG ONE SURFACE OF SAID BLADE MEMBER, FLANGE PORTIONS OVERLYING SAID BASE PORTION, SAID FLANGE PORTIONS BEING SPATIALLY DISPOSED FROM SAID BASE PORTION AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL THERETO WHICH ARE ADAPTED TO ENGAGE ABOUT ONE HALF OF THE OTHER SURFACE OF SAID BLADE MEMBER, END SECTIONS EXTENDING AWAY FROM THE ENDS OF SAID BASE AND FLANGE PORTIONS, EACH END SECTION HAVING A BOTTOM PORTION AND INTURNED ENDS WHICH ARE DISPOSED AT A GREATER DISTANCE FROM THE MEDIAN PLANE OF SAID RECEPTACLE THAN SAID BASE AND FLANGE PORTIONS, AND CURVED PORTIONS CONNECTING SAID BOTTOM PORTIONS AND SAID INTURNED ENDS TO SAID BASE PORTION AND SAID FLANGE PORTIONS TO IMPART THERETO SPRING POWER SO THAT SAID BASE PORTION AND FLANGE PORTIONS PROVIDE A RESILIENT BLADE ENGAGING AREA WHICH WHEN SAID BLADE MEMBER IS INSERTED THEREIN WILL YIELDINGLY ENGAGE SAID BLADE MEMBER IN A MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTION. 